Microsoft, Dell react to competition and collaboration

Surface and EMC

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In a fireside chat at Dell World, Dell CEO Michael Dell and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella sat down to talk about technology and their partnerships.

Dell's acquisition of EMC will see Dell competing more closely against Microsoft's cloud, and Microsoft's further push into the computing space with an expansion of its Surface business will see Microsoft compete more closely against Dell.

So how do these deals affect the long-term and strategic relationships?

Surface

He's breaking the ice, and we're coming in with volume, Mr. Dell said in addressing Microsoft's push with its Surface computers.

Rather than seeing Microsoft as a competitor, Mr. Dell sees Surface as a talking point for consumers. Mr. Dell says that his company can use that to grow the overall PC market and deliver PCs at more affordable price points to bring similar value to customers.

"You have to live your customer's reality," Nadella said. "It can't be out the geopolitics of our industry."

EMC

"We're absolutely friends," Mr. Dell said of the new competition between the two companies. "We've been one of the biggest advocates of the open ecosystem, and it's important to understand that customers want choices."